What Are The Yellow Splitter Guards On A Dodge Charger For & Should You Remove Them?

The best thing about owning a vehicle is that you can customize it to your liking. You can install accessories that significantly improve your vehicle's performance, add something purely for aesthetic appeal, or choose items that serve both purposes. For instance, you can install a rear spoiler on your car, which not only increases downforce and reduces drag but also enhances the car's overall appearance. A similar example is the yellow splitter guards on Dodge Challengers and Chargers, which act as a cosmetic enhancement for some of these car owners.

Dodge introduced these guards to protect the front splitter of Challengers and Chargers, as they are very prone to damage during transport to dealerships. These guards are meant to be removed once the car arrives at the dealership, and dealers are instructed to remove them before selling the vehicle. However, a big segment of car enthusiasts requests that dealers leave the yellow splitter guards on their Dodges. Unfortunately, keeping these guards can ultimately cause harm to the car over time.

Dodge introduced the Challenger SRT Hellcat in 2015, and it quickly became one of the most talked-about cars, as it was the most powerful American production car at the time with 707-horsepower. Along with its launch, Dodge decided to implement additional protective measures for their SRT line before shipping them to dealers. This move made sense, as no car manufacturer wants their product to get damaged during shipping.

One of these protective measures was a bright yellow plastic guard attached to the edge of the front splitter. These guards ensured that the splitter remained protected during shipping from things like rocks or steep driveways. Once the car reached the dealers, they were instructed to remove all protective items, including the splitter guards, before delivering the car to the buyer.

Fast-forward to 2025, and you'll still see many 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcats and other SRT models released afterward on the roads with those yellow splitter guards still attached. This clearly indicates that those buyers requested dealers not to remove them before delivery. Of course, there may have been instances where the dealer simply forgot to remove the guards. However, the key takeaway is that many Dodge owners have chosen to keep them installed because they consider them a cosmetic addition to their cars.

Some like them because they think they look cool, while others, like Graham Kozak from Autoweek, appreciate them because they remind him of old fighter planes. On the other hand, critics argue that the guards completely ruin the car's appearance. There's even a private Facebook group with over 30,000 members opposed to the yellow bumpers.

According to Dodge's advice, yes, you should remove the splitter guard from your car. In a 2019 interview with Brian Makse, Ram and Mopar Design Vice President Mark Trostle stated that the guard completely ruins the car's lines and paint. He also mentioned that the splitter clearly says, "To be removed by the dealer," and advised owners to have the guards removed.

However, it has been over four years since Trostle's interview and nearly nine years since Dodge first introduced the splitter guard, yet opinions remain divided. Some people are still in favor of keeping it, while others are against it. At this point, the discussion is no longer about whether the splitter guard should be kept or removed. Most owners who still have it installed likely already know it's bad for their car's front splitter paint. If they've decided to keep it despite this knowledge, it's clear they've made up their minds, and there's little that can be done to convince them otherwise.

The interesting part is that splitters are also being sold on e-commerce websites like eBay and Amazon. It's not that Dodge isn't taking steps to discourage the use of these yellow bumpers. Since the yellow splitter guard matched any body color of the Challenger and Charger, Dodge changed the guard color to pink in 2020, hoping it would deter people from keeping them on. While some new Dodge Challenger or Charger owners did remove the pink splitter, others liked the new color and chose to keep it. Additionally, some existing Dodge owners liked the new pink splitter and began searching for it online. Now, just like the yellow splitter, the pink splitter is also available for purchase on e-commerce websites and in the aftermarket.